“IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST CONVENTION, PLEASE SIT DOWN.” AEPi’s CEO Jim Fleischer watches from the podium as a quarter of the room take their seats. The tradition that is the last man standing begins. Nearly 400 Jewish college students fill the hotel ballroom during opening session of AEPi’s 105th International Convention. Undergraduates – some first-time attendees and some enjoying their second or third year at convention – circle round tables accompanied by a sprinkling of 140 alumni. Jim continues. “If this is your second convention, please sit down.” Another 30 brothers take their seats amongst applause, after which the room falls […]
At this year’s International Convention, more than 600 Brothers and guests, including 345 undergraduates, from around the world came together at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix to build up their leadership on campus by learning more from one another. AEPi Summer Leadership Series Alpha Epsilon Pi offers three Summer Leadership Series conferences that take place three days prior to International Convention. Each conference offers undergraduate Brothers the necessary tools to achieve the premiere fraternity experience. Brothers are challenged to master their ability to lead in business, learn how to win their school’s student government election and reflect on their […]
In the movie, The Hate U Give, one of the characters asks, “What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?” With the unprecedented rise of antisemitism of on North American college campuses and in communities throughout the world, now is not the time for Alpha Epsilon Pi to be silent. Our Brothers are stepping up, speaking out and fighting back. Last spring, three AEPi Brothers at Towson University were attacked steps from their house. Their assailants chased and beat them yelling antisemitic slurs. The Brothers of Tau Mu were shocked […]
I believe that it is no accident that I am an AEΠ. I never knew my grandfather, Abraham S. Rudnick, who died when my mom was 16 years old. Though he was a gentle soul, the quality that left the most significant impression on me is that Abraham was a fighter. Golda Meir was one of the signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. The next day, Israel was attacked by armies from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iran. Two weeks later, on May 29, 1948, my grandfather, who was then President of the East Flatbush Lodge […]
I imagine it is a complicated time to be in a fraternity. The entire fraternity system is on trial instead of the mere individuals, who have committed egregious acts. And yet, their behavior seems to end up reflecting on entire schools, entire fraternities, and masculinity at large. This is neither right, nor wrong. It simply is. Which is why I feel strongly, given the current climate around sexual assault in our media and world at large, that it has never been a more important time to be in a fraternity. I feel strongly that AEPi can and must play a role […]
“AEPi has been everything to me. From my Jewish identity to friendships and relationships to my leadership skills and my desire to give back to the community. All of it is because of AEPi.” Growing up in Queens, NY, Brother Jeff Jacobson attended Queens College for his first two years of college. “In 1987, Andy Borans rushed me at Queens. He came to my mother’s garden apartment and talked to us about fraternity. I didn’t know anything about AEPi except that it had a menorah in the crest. That was enough for me.” After initiating into the Kappa Chi chapter […]